Of Pirates and Destiny
by Tiger-Cub684
Summary: Ten years have past since Will left as Captain of the Flying Dutchman, and Elizabeth is not happy with her life without him. And Jack struggles for meaning now that he's got everything he's ever wanted. Can Calypso solve all their problems? Willabeth
1. Chapter 1

**_A/n: Ten years after 'AWE', Elizabeth wants more than the once-a-decade visits from her husband. And Jack is confused._**

**_Disclaimer: i own nothing here, except for the odd OC here and there._**

* * *

Of Pirates and Destiny

Chapter 1

Elizabeth frowned sadly as she watched the man she loved sail away in the long-boat, being rowed by her father-in-law, Bill "Bootstrap" Turner, heading out for the proud white ship floating on the horizon. Her son Billy, named to follow the family tradition, stood close to her, a firm hold on her skirts in one hand, and waving good-bye to his father in the other. His eyes glistened with tears. It had been the first time he had met his father, and now he had to go away.

William Turner faced his small family as they slowly grow smaller and smaller, watching as he was taken away. It was the price he had to pay for cheating death; ferrying souls into the afterlife for all eternity, and coming to shore once every ten years. He'd only been doing it for ten years and already he found it unbearable.

It wasn't the job itself; in fact he quite enjoyed meeting all the new people, as he carried them safely to the afterlife. It was leaving his wife and son that he couldn't stand. He wanted nothing more than to be with them, to have been there at the birth of his son, hear his first words, teach him to fight with his first sword (made of wood, of course), to see young Billy grow up, and grow old with his true love. But it could never be. He was immortal now, forever young. It was a curse.

Bill Turner looked with sympathy upon his son. He understood the predicament he was going through. He himself would have loved to have stayed longer, with his lovely daughter-in-law and grandchild, but he had long grown accustomed to life on the _Dutchman_. At least it was a much more enjoyable experience with Will as the captain; He didn't implement flogging for every single breach of protocol.

"I know you're sad now, son, but once we're back on the _Dutchman_ and away from your heart, you'll feel better." Bootstrap consoled.

Will looked away. "I wish it were that simple, but with every aching moment on the ship, I can't help but miss her. It never goes away." he replied sadly.

Bootstrap nodded. There was nothing more he could say to his son. If there were only a way his son could fulfil his duty as Captain of the _Dutchman_ and still have his family. But as far as he knew, there was so way that could happen. For if there was, would not Davy Jones have been with Calypso all those years?

Captain Jack Sparrow stood proudly at the wheel of his true love, the _Black Pearl_. Many times had he fought for the ship, mostly against his nemesis, Barbossa, but now he didn't have to worry about the mutinous captain; he had died a few years before in a freak tropical storm.

It seemed that Calypso had decided to take back what she had given Barbossa, life, after he dared to try and kill her pet Leviathan.

The Leviathan had tried to take down the _Pearl_, which Barbossa had been captaining at the time, on his mistress, Calypso's orders.

Wanting his ship back, Jack had reasoned with Calypso, meeting her on a remote island just out of the Caribbean Sea and had convinced her that he should be the sole captain of the _Pearl_, as it _was_ raised from the depths especially for him; even it was by Davy Jones and in exchange for his soul. She begrudgingly agreed and had sent her Leviathan to go claim it for him, but met opposition from Barbossa, who understandably did not want to give the ship back. He'd tried to fight the monster, which angered Calypso, who then killed him.

And now Jack was free; free to sail wherever he wanted, free from worry of mutiny, and most importantly, free from fear Davy Jones, Barbossa and even the East India Trading Company. He finally had his freedom.

And yet something was bothering him. He looked at his compass and frowned. The needle kept spinning in circles. Ever since he had gotten the _Pearl_ back, things had been going his way. He and the crew had amounted a significant hoard after several honest pirating ventures. He finally had everything he had wanted. Yet, he still felt as if something was missing.

"What's our heading, Captain?" asked Gibbs, Jack's loyal first mate.

"Ahhh, that…general direction…" he replied, pointing nowhere in particular.

Gibbs remained where he was. "Jack."

"Yes, do you have any questions?"

"We can't sail in five directions at once. Where are we going?"

"You do have a point there, Gibbs. I…I don't know."

"Blimey, Jack, you don't know where to next? Impossible. You always have a heading."

Jack paused. "Well, this time, I…I don't. I don't know where I want to sail to next." he admitted.

"Hmm…perhaps it be time for a break from all this pirating." Gibbs suggested.

"What are you suggesting Gibbs?" Jack eyed him suspiciously.

"I be suggesting that maybe we should head for land for a while, you know, take a break from all this pirating and relax in a tavern or something. We be sailing near non-stop for many years now. The Fountain of Youth may keep us young, but it doesn't stop me growing weary of the sea."

"But – but we love the sea!" Jack protested.

"Aye, we do, but haven't ye ever considered staying on land a few months, just until ye hear of somewhere else to sail to next. Eh? There'll be plenty of rum."

Jack thought for a moment. "You do make a good point. Perhaps we should port for a little while. We're getting low on our rum supplies anyway."

"Aye aye captain, where to?" Gibbs asked

"Tortuga, where the rum is cheap and so are the girls." he winked.

Gibbs smiled and began yelling to the crew. They finally had a heading.

Elizabeth sat in her wooden chair, overlooking her large garden, with the glistening sea in the distance. She watched as young Billy played with Patches, their dog. She remembered how they had found Patches, a young, scruffy and lean dog, wandering the streets in Port Royal a few years ago, when they had come down for a day trip. Billy had fallen in love with him instantly, and she had no choice but to let him take Patches home with them. Afterall, he was a good companion to her son, since Billy had no siblings, no friends and no-one else to play with. It made Elizabeth happy to watch her son so bright and full of life, acting like a normal boy, after years of being all alone. It almost made up for his absent father, but not quite. Elizabeth felt the tears being to well in her eyes again. She quickly tried to compose herself. After all these years, she still longed for Will. Yesterday had been bliss, the first time she had seen him in ten years. But then he had to leave early this morning, before dawn. And the agony she had first felt ten years ago had come rushing back.

"Anything more to drink, Mistress?" asked a voice.

Elizabeth turned to her maid Josephine, "No thank you, Josie."

"Very good. I'll go check on tea then." Josie replied, heading back inside.

Elizabeth was lucky, living in her country manor with the money her father had left her. She even had her own serving staff. But it meant nothing if she couldn't share it with her true love. She knew that she'd trade it all in an instant for a small dirty cabin on the _Dutchman_ to be with Will.

"Lonely, isn't it?" replied a soothing voice.

Surprised, Elizabeth turned to see Tia Dalma, the Goddess Calypso, sitting in a wooden chair next to her, looking out at the garden and Billy.

"I remember well the years I spent longing for my Davy Jones," she continued, "But in the end, I guess I didn't last." She turned to face Elizabeth. "But that is the way of a Goddess. Our loves don't often last, especially with mortal men. But you, Elizabeth, you are mortal. And I've seen many a mortal die from longing."

"But what can I do? He's the captain of the Flying Dutchman now. I can't see him for another ten years." Elizabeth cried.

"And by then you'll be another ten years older, yet he'll still be the same. I can sense your anguish. I've been sensing it from the heavens. And it's unacceptable for the Pirate King to be moping around the rest of her life."

Elizabeth was stunned, firstly that the Goddess of the Seas was sitting next to her in her country manor, and secondly, that she was sympathising with her situation. "Well what do you expect me do to? I can't just move on, I can't. I love Will, and I know he's expecting me to wait for him, and why wouldn't I? I can't even begin to imagine being with anyone else."

"And you shouldn't have to. Look, dear, you're young, you're in love, and you're the Pirate King. You don't deserve to live like this, especially not after what you've lost, what you've sacrificed."

Elizabeth looked at the Goddess questiongly.

"I know I have a reputation for being a fierce and wild Goddess, one who shows little mercy and whose moods are as changing as the wind, but I _am_ a woman, and I do sympathise with you. Thanks to Jack, Will is alive, but he's doomed to ferry the dead for eternity. None of you chose your fates. And I don't believe that you deserve to be here, pinning away until you fade into dust."

For a second time that day, Elizabeth was stunned. "Why do you care about me? I'm only a mortal, remember?"

Calypso smiled. "Because, just like your ill-fated husband, you too have a touch of destiny."

Elizabeth froze. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said. But I cannot tell you more than that, as I do not see it all. I didn't see that William would replace Davy Jones until he did, and I do not see what will happen to you, but I know that it will be great, and as significant as your husbands. You should feel lucky, or cursed, depending on how you view this situation."

Elizabeth paused. "So, what do I do?"

Calypso laughed. "M' dear, I can't tell you that, it's up to you. But I will leave you with one word."

"And what's that?"

"Tortuga."

And just as quickly as she had come, Calypso was gone. Elizabeth stared at the place where she had been. "Tortuga."

Suddenly, she felt something tugging on her skirt, "Mother?"

Elizabeth turned to her son and the wagging dog standing beside him. "Yes Billy?"

"Who was that lady you were talking to?" he asked with all the eloquence that came with his class.

"Just an old friend. Why don't you go upstairs and pack."

"Why, are we going somewhere?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Yes, we're going on an adventure."

* * *

**This is my first POTC fic, but def not my first fic overal. This is really for me to tie all the loose ends (for my benefit) up after the movies (not that they really need it, but, yeah, i kinda need closure. lol). i hope you all enjoy it. And i hope this seems original, cos i havn't read any other fics in this category so i don't know what's out here already. **

**please Review! :D**

**have a nice day ;D**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/n: Chapter 2, wherein old friends are reunited and trouble brews...in Tortuga, *what* a surprise.**_

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Chapter 2

Captain Jack Sparrow sat in his favourite booth in the Hog and Oyster pub in Tortuga. It was his new favourite pub after his last favourite, whose name he couldn't even remember, burned down a few years back after an unfortunate bar fight.

All of that pubs patrons and girls had moved in to the Hog and Oyster, and Jack with them. And that was why he was there now.

He sat in his booth with a large mug of rum at his elbow, watching the rest of the pub with mild disinterest and slight drunkenness. Gibbs was passed out next to him, his head slumped on the table, snoring. _The man could never quite take his rum as well as me_, Jack mused.

The pub around him was buzzing with drunkenness. A small and foolish man was brawling with Thee-Toed Tom, a rather tall and burly pirate, well-known for his ruthlessness and strength. The young man didn't stand a chance and was soon being pummelled into the wall. No-one rose to help him. They were all smart enough to stay out of Three-Toed Tom's way. Bar fights were commonplace in a pirate port. What was uncommon was that this particular fight was isolated.

A short, but rather attractive, brunette in a light blue dress that was at least one size too small for her, especially on her top half, weaved around the various tables, sending flirtatious glances to men as she passed. She winked at Jack.

He eyed her as she walked past his booth, considering for a moment whether to go after her and leave Gibbs on his own. He could see another man, Toothless Paul, thinking along the same lines. Jack had come across Toothless Paul on only one previous occasion, during a card game where Jack had cheated Paul out of a considerable amount of gold. He wasn't too keen to confront him again. He knew that if wanted to go after the girl he would have to act fast.

About to get up, Jack was interrupted by an attempted polite cough. He turned to see a young girl with vivid red hair and a navy blue dress, that she was far too young for and could barely fill, standing in front of him with a determined look on her face.

Jack looked the girl and up and down. He looked at her confusedly. "Ah…don't you think I'm a bit old for you?" he said, hoping it would shoo her away.

It didn't.

"Can I help you?" he said, when she didn't move.

"Are you Jack Sparrow?" she asked, her voice not giving anything away.

"It's Captain Jack Sparrow, and yes. Who want's to know?"

"My name is Arabella Ruth Windford. I believe you knew my mother." she said in what seemed like a much rehearsed fashion.

"Windford? I don't think so." Jack replied.

"She's better known as Scarlet." the girl replied.

"Oh, Scarlet. Of course I know her. Haven't seen her in about ten years, though. Well, nice to meet you…ah…"

"Ruth."

"Yes, Ruth, nice to meet you, but it's rather late. Don't you think you ought to be going to home now? Wouldn't it be your bed-time? How old are you anyway?"

"Nine. Since last week."

"Last week? Well happy birthday for last week. Now off you go." he dismissed.

Ruth stayed where she was, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"Look, what do you want from me girl? I'm just a drunken pirate on vacation. Go home to your mother." Jack said irritably.

"I can't." Ruth replied.

"And why not?" He asked her, long past annoyed.

"Because she's dead."

"…Oh," Jack replied apologetically. "When…when did she die?"

"Last week, the day after my birthday."

"How?"

"She was trying to break up a brawl. Got hit with a bar stool and never woke up." Ruth replied sadly, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"I'm sorry." he replied again, trying to imagine Scarlet gone. He'd been quite fond of her. There was a time when he never came to Tortuga without seeing her. And now she was gone.

After a while, "Well, what do you want from me?" he asked.

She looked up eagerly, blinking away her tears, "I want to come with you. I want to be a pirate."

"Why would you want that?"

"Mother used to tell me stories about you, about your adventures. I don't want to be a whore here in Tortuga; I want to be a pirate."

"Look, lass, I'd love to help, but I can't take you with me. The sea is a dangerous place, especially for little girls. Whoring can't be that bad, can it?" he tried to reason with her.

"There's already three men bidding for me when I turn thirteen." she replied solemnly.

"What would they be bidding…oh, right. Geez, that's rough." Jack flinched.

"Please take me with you." she pleaded.

"Don't you have other family? What about your father?"

"I live with a group of whores in the pub. I have no father."

Jack thought for a moment. The girl's story was certainly sad. An orphan, and at her age. Oh well, he decided, the sea is full of orphans.

"Fine, I'll take you with me. Meet me two days from now at the docks, just after sunrise." he told her.

Ruth's eyes lit up. "Really? Thank you so much! Don't worry, I'll be the best pirate ever!"

Delighted, she girl ran off upstairs, presumably to her room, pulling up her dress once to stop it falling down.

Jack sighed. What did he just do? Picking up his mug of rum, he took a long, long gulp.

* * *

Elizabeth stood sternly in the infamous pirate port. She tugged nervously on the sleaves of her tunic, an outfit similar to what she remembered wearing the last time she had tried to sneak onto a pirate ship. Her maid has insisted on arranging her passage to Tortuga, bargaining with a merchant ship to drop them off on the beach just a short walk from the rowdy port. From there she had made her way into town, arriving during the day when it was safer…well, safer at least than it was a night. Not that Tortuga was ever "safe".

"Mother, where are we going?" asked an impatient youth at her side.

Elizabeth put her hand on her son's head. "We're got to find an old friend." she said.

Patches wined next to him.

She knelt down to look Billy in the eyes. "Son, we're going to go into some scary places here. I won't lie to you. It's not safe for someone like you to be here, but there's no where I can leave you. It's safer if you stick with me. But that means you're going to have to be brave, and do everything I tell you, ok? That's very important. Do you understand?"

Billy nodded.

"Good. Now stay close, and don't make eye-contact with anyone." she instructed finally before leading him into the nearest building.

The Hog and Oyster was full of sleeping pirates. Unsurprising since most of them were there due to passing out during the night. Only a few teetered on consciousness, sipping their rum in shaky silence. The whole place stank of piss, sweat, alcohol, and a few other scents Elizabeth preferred not to name. Billy and Patches followed her obediently as she walked up to the bar.

The barkeeper, who was perpetually washing mugs with a dirty cloth, grunted in acknowledgement.

"Have you seen Jack Sparrow around her recently?" Elizabeth inquired.

The barkeeper narrowed his eyes. "Who wants to know?"

Elizabeth sighed and dropped a few coins on the bar.

"I might'a seen 'im." he replied

Elizabeth glared and dropped some more coins on the bar.

"He was 'ere last night. Dunno where 'ere is now." The barkeeper replied, scooping up his bribe.

"Who wants to know 'bout that goo' for nuthin rat?" asked a drunken voice.

Elizabeth turned to see a burly, hung-over pirate, who she knew as Three-Toed Tom (after a minor run-in with him a while back while acting as Pirate King) stand up groggily and stumble over to her.

"'cos there's somethin I want you ta give 'im." he replied, clumsily pulling his arm back ready to punch.

Elizabeth quickly kneed the man in the stomach, and he went down wincing.

"'ey you," called another.

_Great_, Elizabeth thought, _I guess a brawl here is unavoidable_.

Billy watched in horror as three more men got up to aid their comrade. His mother stood there bravely, ready to face them. Patches growled at the pirates.

Elizabeth remembered her son. "Billy, get away. I'll come and get you later," she called, just as she punched a man in the face.

Billy didn't need any further persuading, and fled for the stairs, with Patches running at his heels. He thought he heard the footsteps of people following him, so once he reached the top of the stairs, Billy quickly tried all the doors until he found one unlocked and leapt inside, closing it quickly behind him.

He was breathing heavily after running so suddenly. He sank down to floor with his back against the door, Patches licking his cheek for reassurance.

"Who are you?" asked a bossy voice.

Billy looked up to realise he was in someone's room. A girl of about his age stood in front of him, arms crossed, looking down at him sternly from her white night-gown.

"Sorry," he apologised for barging in. "I didn't mean to – "

"Look, I don't care what you meant, just get out of my room!" she told him firmly, her cheeks as red as her hair in anger.

There were loud bangs against the door. "Hey kid, come out here, ya brat!" shouted a voice.

Billy leapt from the door to the other side of the room.

"Is he looking for you?" asked the girl.

Without waiting for an answer, the young red-head opened the door and glared sternly at the burly pirate. "Get lost." she said

"I know he's in here, I saw 'im." the pirate said.

"I said get lost, you filthy bastard," replied the girl, with far more authority than one would expect from such a young person.

The pirate narrowed his eyes. "Maybe I'll just take you instead," he said, lunging at her.

Ruth realised her mistake and tried to run, but it was too late.  
"I'm gonna have a lot of fun with you." the pirate said menacingly, trying to pull her away by the arm. Ruth screamed in protest.

"Let her go!" demanded Billy, standing bravely with his sling-shot at the ready.

"What you gonna do, runt? Shoot me?" challenged the pirate.

At that moment, Patches leapt at the man and sank his teeth firmly into his leg, while Billy successfully shot the pebble at his forehead.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the filthy man let go of Ruth, and Billy took her arm and he lead her and Patches out of the room and into the hallway.

"Where do we go now?" he asked her

"Follow me," she said, leading him around the corner. They came to another door, behind which they found stairs leading downwards.

"These lead to the cellar. Let's go," she said, before proceeding to descend quickly as more pirate voices were heard approaching behind them.

Down in the cellar, it was dark and smelt strongly of rum and mead.

"We'll be safe in here. And if they find us, there's a door which leads outside over there," Ruth explained.

Billy sighed. He'd never done anything like this before. His mother wasn't kidding when she said it wouldn't be safe.

"Thanks for helping me," Ruth said quietly.

Billy was startled. "Oh, that's ok." he shrugged.

Patches went up to the girl and began to sniff her clothes.

"I'm Ruth," she said, petting Patches on the back as he inspected her feet.

"Billy. And this is Patches."

"What are you doing here, anyway? I ain't seen any other kids here in ages, not since Barty and his Ma left a few months ago."

"I'm here with my mother. We're trying to find an old friend of hers."

"Why?" Ruth asked.

"…I'm not too sure. She didn't say." Billy frowned. There were a lot of things his mother hadn't told him about this trip. "What about you?"

"I live here." she said shortly.

"With your parents?"

"No. I'm here alone."

"Why?"

"My Ma died."

"….Oh. I'm sorry." Billy said awkwardly.

The conversation died after that.

_I hope mother is ok_, Billy thought, wondering how the battle upstairs was faring.

* * *

Elizabeth stood amongst the wreckage. Unconscious bodies were scattered around the dilapidated establishment. "I'm sorry for the damage," she apologised to the barkeeper, robbing one of her victims of his coin purse and throwing it onto the bar as payment.

"Did you see where the boy and his dog went?" she asked.

The barkeeper shrugged and took the money.

Hoping he had had the sense to go outside, she left the bar in search of her young Billy.

It was still early in the morning, and all Elizabeth could see outside were the occasional drunken idiots passed out in the alleys, and other pirates and crewmembers getting ready to set sail. Without any alternative, she began to ask around.

* * *

Jack was beginning to regret all he had drunk that night. Attempting to sail off with a bad head-ache was never fun. At least Gibbs was in worse as state than him.

He watched as his first mate slouched over a barrel as the rest of the crew loaded their belongings onto the _Black Pearl_.

Jack had long ago managed to spread all kinds of believable rumours about his ship; such as that it was haunted by Barbossa, who would rattle chains, cause all the provisions to spoil, and never allow the crew to sleep. This was to prevent anyone from stealing his pride and joy while in port. Luckily, pirates were a deeply superstitious bunch, and usually wouldn't even let a woman on board, unless there was the promise of riches.

Jack fiddled with his compass, frustrated with its continual spinning, hoping that by opening and closing it, it would somehow make a decision as to what he wanted. But it was in vain.

"Hey, have you seen a – Jack, is that you?" asked an interrupting voice.

Jack looked down at the lad in front of him. There was something strangely familiar about him. "Have we met?"

Elizabeth took off her hat, "Jack, it's me."

"Elizabeth? What are you doing here? And why are you wearing those clothes again? I told you, they're incredibly unflattering."

"I'm looking for my son. You haven't seen him by any chance, have you?" she asked.

"Son? You have a son? Does young William know about his? I doubt he'd be too happy to learn you're off enjoying yourself in his absence." Jack said impudently

"It's Will's son. And his name is Billy." she replied irritably. She had almost forgotten how annoying Jack could be.

"No, I haven't seen a young boy around here. How old is this lad then?"

"About ten years. Why?"

"Are you sure it's Will's kid?" he replied slyly.

"Look Jack, I don't have time to play these games with you. I've got an undead husband who I only get to see every ten years, my only son is missing and could be god-knows where, and I'm stuck in this god-awful town talking to the worst pirate ever to sail the seven seas!"

"Hey, firstly, that's _Captain_ Jack, secondly, I am _not_ the worst pirate. I'm captain of the _Pearl_. I'd say that calls for at least the top five."

"Can you just help me find him?"

"Who, Will?"

"No, Billy."

Jack thought it over. "What's in it for me?"

"How about I order you as your King to help me?" she replied curtly.

"Don't make me laugh, love, you haven't stepped foot on the seas in years. Few more months and there'll be no one left who recognises your authority."

Elizabeth couldn't believe her ears, "What? That's ridiculous!"

"Hey, I didn't make the rules." Jack shrugged

Elizabeth groaned. "Can you _please_ just help me find Billy? We can discuss all this later."

Jack was unsure.

"Please Jack, he's all I have to remind me of Will." she pleaded.

Jack sighed. He never could resist a maiden in distress.

"Fine, we'll go find his kid of yours. It's better than watching this lot all day," he gestured to his crew. "Gibbs, you're in charge until I get back."

"Aye – *_hick*_ – Aye, capt'n,"

* * *

_**Huzzah, I updated. Why did it take so long? Well, I can't really offer any excuse other than laziness, since I'm been out of school for 3 weeks now…oh well, that's all irrelevant, cos I actually updated this thing :D and all thanks to a helpful reminder from you awesome reviewers.**_

_**You guys rock! XD**_

_**So, yeah, I hope you like my story so far, and be sure to R&R.**_

_**Thanks in advance, and see ya'll next chapter :p**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N: Sorry this took a while. You can blame little motivation and ideas. But here's another chapter anyways :D (I shouldn't be posting this; I should really be studying for my exams...ah well). _**

**_And just a warning, don't expect the updates to be more frequent. I have little time to write these days, so the updates are always going to be infrequent and unsystematic. We'll see how it pans out._**

Chapter 3

"So, how long do we stay down here?" Billy asked

Ruth shrugged. "I dunno. It's been a while. Do ya think the fight is over?"

"Maybe. Can't be sure, though. Maybe we should just leave out the back entrance. I'd rather not go back inside anyway." Billy suggested.

"Ok, but I need to get my things."

"Why?"

"I don't plan on ever coming back, but I can't leave in my night clothes. And there's some stuff my Ma wanted me to have. We have to go back and get them." Ruth said determinedly.

Billy hesitated, but agreed. He couldn't leave without Ruth. She was the only one who knew her way around this strange town. "Fine, but we have to be quick."

The pair, and Patches, proceeded to make their way back upstairs, being as quiet as possible. Luckily, they didn't meet anyone on the way. They arrived at Ruth's bedroom and she quickly went about grabbing all her most precious possessions; her mother's necklace, an old photo, and an old pistol, among others.

"Is that loaded?" Billy asked in awe of the weapon.

"No, but I've got bullets. My mother took it from my father the last time that she saw him." Ruth replied as she packed them all into a small bag. "Now turn around. I have to change. And no peeking." she warned.

Billy obeyed, as did Patches, and he looked at the wall instead.

After a few moments, she was ready.

"Ok, let's go," she said, dressed in a tunic and trousers, with sturdy boots, her hair roughly tied back in plats.

Billy nodded, and then they left; exiting the building through the cellar in case there was still trouble in the bar.

Once outside, Billy hesitated. "So now were do we go?" he asked.

"Well, we could go to the store. I'm hungry." Ruth suggested.

Billy heard his own stomach growl. "Sure, lead the way."

* * *

The general store in Tortuga was much like the rest of the town, rundown and mismatched; a reflection of its patrons. But it was reputed as being the most brawl-free place in the whole port. So it's understandable that young Ruth may have thought it would be a safe place to stay for a while. But sadly, she was mistaken.

No sooner than they had stepped foot inside the building, were they ambushed by more ruffians.

"Hand over all ya gold, little missy, or we'll cut both you and ya friend," said a creepy-looking pirate with bad teeth, holding a knife to her neck.

Ruth resisted, "No, it's mine!"

"Didn't ya hear me? Do ya wanna die? Maybe we'll just kill 'im first to show ya we're not joking." the pirate repeated.

Another pirate stepped forward and grabbed Billy from behind, holding a large knife to his neck.

Patches growled. A third pirate kicked him in the ribs. "Stupid mutt."

"Ruth, what do we do?" Billy asked desperately. He wished he had never left his mothers side.

Ruth trembled. She'd never been attacked twice in one day like this before. Perhaps running away _was_ a bad idea.

"Get your hands off them." commanded a voice from behind.

"Yeah, step away from the brats," added another, followed by "*_oomph*_, sorry."

Ruth heard a click as a gun was readied.

The pirates shied away, knowing they were beat. "Didn't mean no 'arm mister," said one, backing off.

Billy turned to see his mother, still disguised in man's clothes, aiming a pistol in the direction of the pirates. She had a strange-looking man next to her, apparently trying to glare menacingly.

"Which one's your brat – I mean, kid." Jack asked.

Elizabeth ignored him. "Leave," she told the pirates sternly. They quickly fled, squirming out of the store as fast as they could manage.

After they were gone, Elizabeth knelt down and pulled her son into a hug. "Billy, I was so worried," she said, her demeanour changed dramatically from moments before.  
"Mother!" was all Billy could manage, thankful she had found them at last.

"Great, we found him. Can I go now? I plan to be in Port Royal by sundown." Jack said impatiently.

"Hey, you said you weren't leaving until tomorrow," said Ruth

"Oh, you again. Um…well, the thing is…" Jack struggled to find the words.

"Do you know this girl, Jack?" Elizabeth asked,

"Not really- "

"He said he would take me with him to be a pirate." Ruth interrupted crossly.

"You said _what_? She's just a child, Jack, how could you?" Elizabeth asked, slapping him hard on the cheek, "What kind of sick – "

"Hey, don't get mad at me. She begged to come with me. And, seriously, what kind of person do you think I am? I may be a pirate, but I'm not like that," retaliated Jack, sick to his stomach at the very idea, "and I wasn't even going to take her. I can't have little brats running around the _Pearl_,"

Ruth was outraged "You lied to me, you two-faced – "

"Everyone, please!" Billy shouted to get their attentions. "You, Mr. Jack – "

"That's Captain…" he caught Elizabeth's eyes, "um, nothing. Go on..."

"So you lied to Ruth about taking her with you. And why did you want to go with him, Ruth?" he asked his new friend

"To get out of here. I can't stay in Tortuga now that Ma's dead. I _don't_ want to be a whore!" she said firmly.

Elizabeth flinched at hearing such a young girl speak of such things.

"Mother, why are _we_ here? I need more than just '_to meet an old friend_.'" Billy asked

Elizabeth sighed. She supposed there was no point in lying to him. "We came here to find him," she gestured to Jack, "so we could set off to find your father. I think."

"You think?"

"Look, it's hard to explain, but Calypso came to me and said to come to Tortuga, and I've interpreted it as us finding this sorry excuse for a pirate and going off to you're your father. It seems like what she implied at least. She really didn't give me many details." Elizabeth confessed.

"Wait, you want _me_ to take you out to the _Dutchman_? Are you serious?" Jack asked.

"Yes."

"Geeze, Elizabeth, even _I_ haven't seen Will in years. What makes you think you'll have any luck travelling with me?"

"You're the only person I know with his own ship…well the only one who I trust to a degree at least. I need some way to get out onto the water. And the _Pearl_ is the fastest ship in the Caribbean. I need this, Jack." Elizabeth pleaded.

"And I suppose you'll want to bring the boy and his mutt along with you then,"

"Of course. And we might as well bring the girl too. I'm not going to let such an innocent thing be made subject to the filthy pigs here." she replied with disgust.

"There's _no way _I'm going to let a woman, two brats and a dog onto _my_ ship." Jack said stubbornly.

"Don't talk like that; it wasn't a problem ten years ago when we went to find Will last time." she reminded.

"…well, I stand by what I said about the kids and the dog."

"You've had a monkey on board for years!"

"And I've completely hated that undead fur-ball. Still do. And kids are more work than an undead monkey. You have to feed 'em, and…" he looked down into the hopeful eyes of Billy. Ruth, catching on, did the same. "Oh, now that's just not fair, just look at that! Make them stop!"

"Not until you let them come with us." Elizabeth replied.

Jack was helpless against the puppy-dog eyes of two children and an actual dog. He was soft at heart, after all.

"Come on Jack, do it for your King." Elizabeth added.

Jack sighed, defeated. "Fine, fine, you'll all come with me. But if you two cause any problems, you'll be left on a deserted island with only a pistol and a single bullet." he said without much conviction.

Billy and Ruth rejoiced. Patches howled in anticipation.  
"I know I'm going to regret this," Jack said quietly.

* * *

Will stared solemnly out at the dark churning sea. He was just a week away from World's End, where he would deposit his latest boatload of souls. And then he would set back out to do it all again. He was surprised that it had taken ten years for it to become an incredibly dull chore.

He supposed that his current feelings of nostalgia were because the memories of his family were still fresh in his mind after his recent once-a-decade visit; his handsome young son, a significant amount of his childhood which he had already missed, and his beautiful wife Elizabeth. It was Elizabeth he missed the most. Their night together had been amazing, but he was still resentful that such an event only came once every ten years. It was an unbearable burden.

"Captain Vill?" whispered a coy voice.

Will turned back from his thoughts to the scantily clad maiden who had crept up beside him.

"What are you doing out here Marie?" Will asked suspiciously.

"I'm here to comfort you, silly," she replied playfully.

Will frowned. She had been flirting with him ever since he had picked her up two weeks ago at a shipwreck around the coast of New Orleans.

"Go back in the strong hold with everyone else," he sighed.

"Are you sure you vouldn't ra'zer I stay here?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes expertly.

"I've told you before," Will snapped, "I love my wife and I'm not going to cheat on her with some French whore,"

Marie pouted. She hadn't expected to win the mourning Captain over anyway, but it had been worth a shot. "Fine zen. Sit out here on your own, you _bricon_!" She stormed away noisily down the deck.

Will sighed and rested his head on his arms, as they leant on the rail. After living a full day in happiness for the first time in years, going back to the Dutchman had been a struggle. His yearning for Elizabeth had been renewed, and now he had a new attachment to pine for; young Billy.

Taking one last look at the darkened sky, he retired to his cabin.

* * *

**And I hope I got that french word correct. I'm not french and have never studied the language. I just simply looked up some choice words from the internet. If any French readers feel the need to make any corrections now or in the future, I'd be greatful. **

**So until next time, fair readers :D (hopefully i'll get another chapter out in the coming holidays)**

**And reviews are much appreciated **

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